Thursday, April 9, 2015

Beyond Believing by D.D. Marx {Book Review & Giveaway}

Paperback 248 pages
Published April 7th 2015 by Next Century PublishingWhen Olivia gets news of her best friend Dan’s fatal car accident, her life is shattered. Consumed with grief and struggling to find any meaning or purpose to life, she trudges along with a gaping void in her heart. Finally, when her frustration reaches its peak, Olivia decides to put her trust in the depth of friendship the two of them shared. That trust finally allows him to breakthrough to her, and Dan begins to guide Olivia through the twists and turns of her life, leading to something new and entirely unexpected.

When Olivia exposes a gigantic internal scandal at work, her career implodes. With no job and nowhere to turn, she escapes to Palm Springs for the sympathy and care of her beloved cousin, Garrett. However, with only weeks left before the opening of his newest store, “Gin and Tonic,” Garrett isn’t quite the comfort Olivia had expected. She yet again tries to find her way, and in the process meets someone who begins to fill that void in her heart. She’s never before experienced a love like this; it heals her soul and rekindles her spirit – and just may have been the design of her dearly departed friend all along.

Beyond Believing is a sweet, funny, and romantic story that touches the heart, serves up delicious twists and turns, and shows the reader that there’s no such thing as “coincidence.” Author D.D. Marx regards this book as her “love letter to friendship,” written in memory of her best friend, Dan

I had to drop Julia at the airport to bid her farewell. Julia was undoubtedly my closest friend, aside from Mac, but in many ways we had a much deeper friendship. It felt different being friends with a girl; conversation had more meaning. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt more connected. That in part was why saying goodbye was so much harder. Of course we vowed to write often and knew we would be seeing each other in the States in just a few short months, but as soon as she got on that plane, I felt eerily alone.

After a while I realized I didn't have to talk out loud for him to hear me; he could hear my thoughts. To ensure I always knew it was him, if I heard it in the car I'd look at the dashboard clock and it would be 10:21a.m (my birthday), 12:16p.m (his birthday), or 4:05p.m. (which corresponded with the day that he died 4/5)

How do you put into words all the things you are feeling, apologize for everything you never showed her, tell her how much she taught you, describe how her love changed you and your view of the world, yet allow her to let go to be at peace?

Have you ever read a story that just touched you at your very core? This one did just that to me! I can't even put into words the inspirational messages in this book. The author is doing a whole series with this book as the first one in a trilogy and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Olivia Henry is the main female protagonist in this book and she is easy to like. She is a normal teenager in the mid 80's and has a close tight group of friends she does absolutely everything with. They stick together. Finn is the male lead and he is just as lovable as Olivia is. The way their stories develop within the same timeline but completely separated was just so amazing. I don't believe I have read a book that had a plot put together this well in a long time.

This book is a great uplifting, fun, carefree type of read. It would also be a great read to buddy read with a friend as you could have someone to laugh with and talk about all the points of this book.

Both Olivia and Finn deal with a major tragedy but somehow they find a way to keep going through their lives without losing hope. Everyone can gain strength from this read. The story is told in such a way that it doesn't make you want to cry at the sadness but cry happy tears for life's circumstances bringing two people with hope back to life again.

GIVEAWAY

The beautiful necklace on the cover is being given away. Win by following the steps below ﻿

About the author:

D.D. Marx is an author, blogger and inspired writer for the chick-lit genre. She is a Second City graduate, hopeless romantic, amazingly proud Aunt, a forever friend and life lover.

d.d. marx came barreling into this world with the “gift of gab”. Her parents quickly identified a pattern forming when each teacher conference contained the words “she’s a little too social”. d.d.’s biggest life concern was identifying which boy she’d be chasing at recess rather than mastering math problems. She parlayed this gift into creating play dates on the playground. If friendship were a business, she would be a millionaire. She prides her life on maintaining friends from every walk of life in every corner of the country. This is the fuel that fills her tank.

Graduating with a Communication degree from the University of Dayton, she attempted to break into the world of Public Relations but was instead side-tracked with a J.O.B. At the strong encouragement of her friends and family, who dubbed her a “funny story teller”, she stretched her comfort zone by entering the Second City program in Chicago where her itch for entertainment was finally scratched. Determined to share her story and create a legacy, she decided to combine these talents and become a writer. She returned to her alma-mater to immerse herself in a 3-day writing course where tis dream finally came to life. Asked to imagine if she was a super-hero, her task was to dig-deep to describe her special powers. Based on the real-life tragedy of one of her best friends, that answer came without hesitation. All she’s ever wanted was the power to visit with him one last time. This is the inspiration that catapulted her into her debut project titled, the Beyond Series. She dove into a world imagining that he never left.